Diagnosis:Alypiodes geronimo is a distinctive,
sexually dimorphic species known only from the Huachuca and Baboquivaria
Mountains of southeastern Arizona and the state of Sinaloa in Mexico.
The male and female are both black with yellow-white spots, but otherwise
appear very dissimilar. The best character to distinguish the species
that is true of both males and females is the presence of a tuft of orange
hair-like scales at the base of the forewing wrapping about the base of
the costa. The male forewing is black with a narrow yellow-white spot
near the costa at the approximate position of the orbicular spot. There
are two further large yellow-white patches in the outer third of the median
area, one at the costa and the other at the inner margin, the two spots
separated by a black, narrow band. The reniform is absent, but the inner
margin is apparently delineated by a thin band of metallic blue scales.
These metallic blue scales are difficult to see except in reflected light
and also occur along the outer margin and on some of the forewing veins.
The female is much larger than the male and the inner yellow spot at the
position of the orbicular spot is absent. The two larger yellow-white
patches are present. The male hindwing has a large yellow-white band in
the median area interrupted by black on the costa and inner margin. The
yellow-white band is present both dorsally and ventrally. The male hindwing
also has a puckered region of wing membrane between veins CuA1 and CuA2.
The female hindwing is solid dull black both dorsally and ventrally. Wing
length: (males) mean = 14.87 mm, standard deviation = 0.78 mm, n = 3;
(females) mean - 18.25 mm, standard deviation = 0.62 mm, n = 10.

Distribution: This species is known only from the Huachuca
and Baboquivaria Mountains of southeastern Arizona and the state of Sinaloa
in Mexico. The size of the yellow-white spots on the forewing is slightly
variable in males and females. Adults have been collected in July and
August.

Identification Quality: Excellent

Larva: Unknown

Foodplants: There is a female adult in the USNM with
an associated pupal case with the notation "on cactus plants".

Alypiodesgeronimo

Alypiodes bimaculata is a larger species with more elongate
forewing and a row of three yellow-white patches near the costa. Alypiodes
bimaculata is not sexually dimorphic.